A correctional officers at Marcy Correctional Facility restrains Robert Brooks, as reported by the New York State Attorney General. Christopher Walrath, one of six New York state prison guards indicted on murder charges related to the fatal beating of an inmate, has pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter. The guilty plea was entered at a court hearing where Walrath accepted a plea deal that would result in 15 years in state prison and five years of post-release supervision for the manslaughter charge. The final sentence will be issued by the judge on August 4.
The inmate who tragically lost his life in the incident, 43-year-old Robert Brooks, was repeatedly beaten by correction officers at Marcy Correctional Facility in upstate New York. Brooks, who was serving a 12-year sentence for assault, had been transferred from another facility to Marcy on the night of the fatal beating in December 2024. The body-camera footage of the incident led to widespread criticism of the violence and brutality faced by some inmates at the hands of corrections officers.
A total of 10 prison guards were charged in connection with Brooks’ death, with varying charges including murder, manslaughter, and evidence tampering. During the court hearing, special prosecutor William Fitzpatrick detailed the severe injuries Brooks suffered, including bruised internal organs, fractured hyoid bone, ripped thyroid cartilage, severe brain damage from restricted airways, and ultimately choking on his own blood.
At the hearing, Walrath admitted to using a chokehold on Brooks and assaulting him while in the emergency room, including hitting him in the groin. He also confessed to using force and then lying about it. The prosecutor emphasized the serious physical harm caused to Brooks, leading to his tragic death.
Brooks’ son expressed his hope for Walrath to rehabilitate himself during his prison term, highlighting the terrifying prospect of being on the other side of the prison system as an inmate. Fitzpatrick noted the irony that Walrath, a former corrections officer of over a decade, would now spend 15 years as an incarcerated individual if he lacks remorse.
In addition to the criminal cases, Brooks’ family has pursued a federal civil rights lawsuit naming 17 defendants, most of whom are current or former employees at Marcy present during the fatal beating.
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